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Archives for June 2015

Pirates Outright Radhames Liz

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Pirates righty Radhames Liz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on Twitter. Liz will continue earning the $1MM annual salary he agreed to before the year. The club expressed hope that he would stay in the organization, and that guaranteed money likely ensured that he would. Liz has a 3.63 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings on the year, but has also walked ten batters and was viewed with less promise by ERA estimators.

Yankees Designate David Carpenter

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The Yankees have designated reliever David Carpenter for assignment, the club announced. The move creates roster space for the activation of Masahiro Tanaka.

Carpenter, 29, came to the Yankees from the Braves along with lefty Chasen Shreve in an offseason trade that sent Manny Banuelos to Atlanta. The righty was a very solid performer in his two years with the Braves, but has struggled thus far in pinstripes.

Over 18 2/3 innings this year, Carpenter owns a 4.82 ERA. He has struck out just 11 batters in that span — after averaging about 10 K/9 over the two seasons prior — while walking eight. On the positive side, Carpenter’s fastball velocity is still sitting right at the 95 mph mark.

All said, Carpenter figures to draw a decent bit of interest from other teams. His $1.275MM salary is manageable enough, and his track record and maintained velocity offer a more promising combination than can usually be found this time of year.

Draft Notes: Rankings, Aiken

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With less than a week to go before this year’s draft, amateur prospect evaluation is cresting. For those interested in really understanding the broad scope of players available this year, there are a few great resources to check out. And there is an update on a draft candidate who will be more closely-watched than any other this summer.

Let’s have a look in at the latest:

  • Baseball America has released its top-500 ranking, which includes just about every player of real relevance at this stage (though no doubt we’ll look back in 10 years and wonder how someone eluded mention). You’ll find links there to scouting reports and video.
  • ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Insider link) remains bullish on University of Arizona shortstop Kevin Newman, who gets the second spot on his list. Indeed, each of the top four players available, in Law’s view, are shortstops, with high schooler Brendan Rogers at the top and Dansby Swanson (Vanderbilt) and Alex Bregman (LSU) following behind Newman.
  • Kiley McDaniel and Fangraphs have introduced a “sortable draft board” that allows you to take in the various forms of assessment (e.g., present & future value, ranking, mock draft prediction, likely pick range). Check it out and work the columns to get a better sense of what’s out there. As with the BA list, you can access more detailed reports and video of many players.
  • Brady Aiken and his medical status still remains something of an enigma, McDaniel writes. The unsigned first-overall pick of a year ago is coming off of Tommy John surgery. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested yesterday that the Astros had actually found a small tear in Aiken’s elbow, while earlier reports indicated that he had an unusually narrow UCL. As McDaniel notes, others believe that Houston was scared off by structural issues in the elbow. His current draft status will depend in part on just what issues are there, as well as his progress in the UCL replacement. McDaniel says that Aiken’s camp has released medical information, but done so in an unusually constricted way. All said, it’s impossible to get a read on where he’ll land, though his talent is great enough that he’s expected to land a seven-figure bonus regardless.

AL Central Notes: Hahn, Castellanos, Perez

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Let’s take a look in at the AL Central, which is currently fronted by a surprising Twins club — though not due to the poor performance of the rest of the division. With the Indians streaking and the Royals and Tigers still looking like threats, to say nothing of a White Sox team that is still in the picture as well, it’s probably not too soon to call this the most competitive division in baseball.

  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn says that he still expects several players to improve their play back toward their career norms, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports. While Hahn rightly notes that there’s still plenty of time, of course, the AL Central does not look like the easiest division to make a run at from behind. That means that Chicago will increasingly need to consider “contingency plans,” as Merkin puts it, if buying at the deadline does not make sense. “Marching orders for our scouts heading out of Spring Training were looking at our positions of need at the big league level and targeting guys to help shore those up for a stretch run,” explains Hahn. “At the same time, we have our pro scouts out at the Minor League level preparing for, should we need to go the other way, and look at more prospect-focused deals. At this point, our intent is to look to add at the Deadline and put ourselves in a better position to win.”
  • Young Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos has always seemed primed to hit in the big leagues, though that remains a work in progress. While he has yet to turn things on at the dish, however, he has made a significant improvement in his glovework, as Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh examines. Castellanos acknowledges that “the game definitely got fast for [him] a little bit” at third after a long pause in his work at that position. It took a lot of work and subtle adjustments, but Lindbergh explains that Castellanos has made strides in completing more difficult plays, especially on balls hit down the line. Certainly, the overall improvement bodes well for his long-term ability to stick at third, though his bat will need to come around as well.
  • Fellow infielder Hernan Perez is now on the move from the Tigers after being claimed by the Brewers yesterday. GM Dave Dombrwoski says that he had attempted to recoup some value from Perez in trade, but interest was minimal. While that gave some hope that he’d get through waivers, it didn’t prove to be the case. (Video link via MLive.com.)

Red Sox Notes: Henry, Cherington, Farrell, Ortiz

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Red Sox owner John Henry had a number of interesting comments yesterday, as he addressed his ballclub’s struggles. He noted, first of all, that GM Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell are not at risk of losing their jobs, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets.

Here’s more from the Boston owner and other notes from the team:

  • The Red Sox seem as an organization to have identified some problems in their recent moves, but it’s not yet clear that they have a new, positive vision, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald suggests in his piece on Henry. Addressing last year’s increasingly questionable series of transactions (running from the trade deadline through the winter), Henry acknowledged that it is not to soon to wonder whether the right calls had been made. “At this point, you can question that, and you should, we should question that,” Henry said. “They’re going to have to prove it on the field that we made the right decisions, and they’ll prove us right or they’ll prove us wrong.”
  • Looking further into Henry’s comments, Lauber’s colleague John Tomase writes that the Red Sox seem to be late in responding to some significant developments league-wide — particularly, the expanding strike zone and increasing availability of power relief arms. “The way you win games in 2003 is different from the way you win games in 2015,” Henry said. “And we have to make those adjustments as an organization. … The strike zone is larger than it used to be, so you can’t be as patient as you used to. The game of baseball has changed a lot. The standings reflect that.” The trouble, says Tomase, is that adapting will require a fairly drastic shift in the approach of numerous key hitters — along with longer-timeline changes in organizational thinking.
  • DH David Ortiz says he still does not have set plans on when he’d like to retire, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports. Of course, that question has been asked with somewhat greater urgency given that the seemingly-ageless (but actually 39-year-old) slugger is off to a rough .224/.308/.379 start to the year. Ortiz dismissed those concerns with typical wit and wisdom. “A lot of people looked at me like that [six] years ago, and here I am still,” he said. “I don’t have no timetable for [retirement]. I don’t think anybody has it, either. If it happens, who cares, man, I’m just another player that comes in and comes out. Everybody’s time is up at some point. I don’t think that’s my problem, though. I’ll keep on trying like I normally do.”

Blue Jays Notes: Navarro, Duke, Janssen, Santana

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The Blue Jays announced today that Dioner Navarro has been activated from the disabled list, with Josh Thole being optioned to Triple-A to make room on the 25-man roster. Navarro, an oft-mentioned trade candidate this winter (due largely to his own admission that he would prefer a trade that will allow him every day) struggled to a .267/.294/.333 batting line in his first 34 plate appearances before landing on the DL. As a free agent at season’s end, he’ll hope to bring that line closer to the .283/.333/.427 he posted between the Cubs and Jays in 2013-14.

A few notes on some the Blue Jays…

  • Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi spoke with White Sox reliever Zach Duke about the Blue Jays’ interest in him this offseason. Duke, who signed on with the South Siders for three years and a total of $15MM, said the interest between him and Toronto was mutual. “I talked with [Blue Jays GM] Alex [Anthopoulos] quite a bit,” Duke told Davidi. “I talked to a few guys on the Blue Jays, too, and I was pretty interested. Toronto was definitely a huge consideration for me.” Davidi notes that the Jays also contemplated topping Chicago’s offer to David Robertson (four years, $46MM) but weren’t comfortable with how much they’d have to backload the deal to make it work.
  • Davidi also caught up with former Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen, who is now with the Nationals after signing a one-year, $5MM contract this winter. As Davidi writes, failed extension talks during the 2014 season likely played a role in Janssen’s departure from the organization that he had spent the past 10 years with. Janssen said that he left talks up to his agent for the most part, but he never got the sense that the Blue Jays had serious interest.
  • It’s been three years since Johan Santana tossed a 134-pitch no-hitter for the Mets — the first no-hitter in their franchise’s history. Santana, however, pitched in just three games following that milestone, as shoulder injuries and a ruptured Achilles tendon have kept him off the field. Now with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal, Santana tells Sports Illustrated’s Phil Taylor that he wouldn’t change anything about that night if he had the chance. “It’s easy to criticize things after they happened,” says Santana. “You don’t have a crystal ball to say what’s going to happen. I told [Mets manager] Terry [Collins] I felt fine, and I did. Even if an army had come to get me, I wouldn’t have come out of the game. I love this game too much.” Santana says he’s not certain if his comeback attempt with the Blue Jays will result in him returning to a Major League mound, but he’s hopeful of being able to do so in any capacity. “Starting, relieving, just to pitch again,” the two-time Cy Young winner tells Taylor. “Coming back is a challenge and I love challenges. Is it going to happen? I don’t know. But I’m taking my chances and I’m giving it everything I have.”

Dodgers Designate David Huff For Assignment

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Following the fist game of today’s double-header against the Rockies, the Dodgers announced that they have designated left-hander David Huff for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Josh Ravin from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Additionally, catcher Austin Barnes has been optioned to Triple-A, and lefty Daniel Coulombe has been recalled in his place.

The 30-year-old Huff rejoined the Dodgers yesterday after making a spot start in April and being designated for assignment at that point as well. (Huff cleared waivers and remained in the Dodgers organization after being outrighted.) Huff worked a scoreless inning with a strikeout in today’s twin bill, but overall he’s yielded six runs on 11 hits and a walk with four strikeouts in six innings this year.

Huff has a good deal of Major League experience under his belt, as today’s frame was the 388th he’s pitched over the past seven seasons. Originally drafted 39th overall by the Indians in 2006, Huff debuted with Cleveland and pitched in parts of five seasons there (2009-13). Since that time, he’s appeared with the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers. Huff is no stranger to the DFA limbo in which he currently finds himself; this is the seventh time he’s been designated for assignment in his career.

The 27-year-old Ravin’s journey to the Majors has been a long one. A fifth-round pick of the Reds back in 2006, Ravin quickly found himself ranked 13th among Cincinnati farmhands by Baseball America. However, he struggled a great deal in the 2007 season and didn’t appear on another iteration of that top prospect list until 2012, when he ranked 31st. The Brewers claimed him off waivers in September 2013 but outrighted him a few months later. He signed with the Dodgers shortly after and has spent the 2014-15 seasons with their Triple-A affiliate. Ravin has touched triple digits with his fastball in the past and had a 2.25 ERA with a 30-to-8 K/BB ratio in 20 Triple-A innings this year.

NL West Notes: Dahl, Aardsma, Bradley, Cahill

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Rockies prospect David Dahl was at one point thought to be out for the season following a collision that led to a massive laceration on his spleen, but he’s now opted for a splenectomy and, incredibly, is hoping to return to the field within six weeks, agent Adam Karon tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. “David has put in an incredible amount of work the last two offseasons, and he just couldn’t fathom the idea of a shortened season,” Karon told Crasnick. “…A normal person would just leave the spleen in. But for an athlete, there’s an additional risk of the spleen rupturing again in a collision. David said, ’I can’t play the rest of my career worrying about this, and I don’t want to miss any more time this year than I have to.'” Dahl got off to a slow start at Double-A this season, but it seems likely that he’ll get a chance to improve those numbers yet — an outcome that seemed impossible as recently as one week ago.

Here’s more from the NL West…

  • The Dodgers are in the midst of a 72-hour window to make a decision on veteran right-hander David Aardsma, writes Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman. The 33-year-old Aardsma has been lights-out in relief for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City this year, but the team may not be able to find room for him on the 25-man roster. Aardsma’s contract contains a June 1 opt-out that triggers the 72-hour window; he must be added to the roster or he can elect free agency. Aardsma reworked his mechanics and went throw a program called Top Velocity this offseason in an effort to rediscover his velocity, and he tells Unruh that he feels he can contribute to a Major League bullpen again. If the results in Triple-A are any indication, that may well be true, as Aardsma has posted a 2.55 ERA with a 21-to-7 K/BB ratio and 15 saves in 17 2/3 innings thus far.
  • Archie Bradley is placing the Diamondbacks in a tough spot, writes Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic. The top prospect won a job in the rotation out of Spring Training — impressing the team so much that they traded Trevor Cahill to clear a place for him — but he’s struggled since returning from a frightening injury. Bradley missed two weeks after being struck in the face by a Carlos Gonzalez line drive, and since coming back, he’s averaged just four innings a start and allowed 19 runs in 15 2/3 innings. Bradley maintains that the injury isn’t the reason for his downturn in performance, but as Buchanan notes, the D-Backs rank at the top of the league in terms of innings pitched by their bullpen. Bradley’s current inability to work deep into games is further stretching the club’s relief corps, but despite that troubling trend, general manager Dave Stewart told Buchanan that there are “no plans right now” to make a move involving Bradley.
  • Speaking of Cahill, the right-hander recently spoke to the Republic’s Sarah McLellan about being traded to Atlanta at the end of Spring Training. Cahill said that it was “kind of shocking” to be traded with just one day of camp remaining, but he ultimately told himself to view the transaction as a new opportunity. Of his time with the Snakes, Cahill told McLellan, “I worked hard and competed as best as I could, but I wished I could have done more to help the team.” His struggles have persisted to this point in Atlanta, where he’s pitched to a 7.33 ERA with 12 strikeouts against 11 walks in 23 1/3 innings and ceded his spot in the rotation to young flamethrower Mike Foltynewicz.
  • A pair of NL West news items came in late last night as well, for those who had turned in for the evening: the D-Backs announced that Tuffy Gosewisch will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, and veteran righty Juan Gutierrez opted out of his minor league deal with the Giants.

Quick Hits: Ruth, Slowey, Nix, Cuba

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Babe Ruth pioneered many things in baseball, of course, and one lesser-known among them came in the insurance arena, as Richard Sandomir writes for the New York Times. Before the 1920 campaign, Ruth took out a disability policy of the kind that is now standard for players looking to protect themselves from injury or illness.

Here are some more stray notes from around the game:

  • 31-year-old righty Kevin Slowey has joined the MLBPA as a special assistant, per a press release. He’ll assist in the union’s preparations for the coming collective bargaining negotiations. Slowey, who spent the spring in Phillies camp, has appeared in the big leagues with the Twins and Marlins. All said, he compiled 662 innings of 4.62 ERA pitching, striking out 6.7 and walking 1.5 batters per nine along the way.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today spoke with Jacob Nix, the righty who saw his deal with the Astros fall through last year as part of the Brady Aiken fallout. Nix explains that he has tried to stay positive, but did not sugarcoat the difficulties he faced. “Last year pretty much sucked,” said Nix. “I was literally in the wrong place and the wrong time. It was a bad situation. The whole year was pretty difficult for myself and for my family.” Houston ultimately offered Nix a $620K bonus after pulling back the $1.5MM deal that had been struck, says Nightengale, but he declined. Nix was set to attend UCLA — even driving out to the campus — but ultimately ended up at the IMG Academy as eligibility issues loomed due to the NCAA’s rules (which are, in my view, remarkably unfair). While winning a grievance against the Astros that “paid him a fraction of his original signing bonus,” Nix says he also pushed his development on the mound and is now a much more complete pitcher entering this year’s draft. The whole piece is well worth a read and comes highly recommended.
  • Exhibition baseball is likely heading to Cuba next year, as commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters yesterday, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The expectation is that clubs chosen by the league will head to the neighboring island during Spring Training.

Brewers Claim Hernan Perez, Designate Elian Herrera

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The Brewers have claimed infielder Hernan Perez off waivers from the Tigers, Milwaukee announced. To clear a roster spot, the club designated utilityman Elian Herrera for assignment.

Perez, 24, has seen very brief playing time at the major league level in each of the last four seasons. In 647 Triple-A plate appearances, he slashed .280/.321/.387 while adding 21 stolen bases. The Venezuelan native has split his time as a professionally evenly between shortstop and second base.

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Herrera has delivered a career .249/.304/.343 slash line in 470 turns at bat in the majors, all compiled in sporadic action over 2012-15. He is a true utility player, having spent time at all three outfield spots and every infield position left of first base. Herrera has had some success at the plate at the Triple-A level, where he owns a .307/.375/.431 batting line in just over 1,000 plate appearances.

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